Lilac wood ideas

[mick91]

Was wondering if there are any uses for lilac wood? I assumed it was just an old shrub in the garden, but as I've cut most of it down I found it's as hard as iron! Have some sliced through drying out for coasters and the like but was wondering if it's of any use for anything else? Heartwood seems much darker than the outer wood. Got a fair amount of it too so any suggestions I'll have a go

 

[Macaroon]

I've seen some really spectacular things carved with Lilac, it's a really beautiful wood when carved, seasoned and oiled up with Walnut oil. The contrast between the heartwood and sapwood looks truly magnificent.

I'd use it for spoons and knife scales if I had it in the right dimensions, but I think it's a wood you'd be well advised to carve green as it's really very hard on tools and hands; a bit like Plum on steroids but much "showier".

 

[mick91]

When you say carve green do you mean useasoned? I've been wanting to have a crack at carving for some time and I do think it would make good knife scales by the grain. Any tips for working it except doing it in green?

 

[Macaroon]

Yes, just carve it as soon as you can before it dries out too much; it's a very rewarding wood and well worth the effort involved. You don't see it become available as often as most of the other carving woods, either.

Keep your tools as sharp as sharp can be, get a good strop set up and use it as soon as you feel the edge dulling. Take your time with the stock removal and if you need to leave it for a day or two put it in a paper or cotton bag with the top open, laid on it's side and put in a good few dampened shavings to keep the piece from drying out too quickly. This will also help to keep it from checking/splitting. Enjoy it.

 

[Robson Valley]

You can carve it "green" aka fresh and wet, as it will be softer and thus easier to work. Some woods really go from cheese to bone as they dry ( eg Alder = Alnus sp.)
At the same time, you run the risk of your project drying and cracking in progress.
The best you could do is keep the work in a sealed plastic bag to slow down the rate of drying which slows the intensity of the mechanical stresses created in drying.

For seasoning the wood, strip off the bark and seal the cut ends (glue, paint, etc). The idea is to try to even out the rate of water loss
from the sides to that of the cut open ends. Outdoors, under cover and not cooked in a shed, it's usual to imagine that air-drying is about 1" per year.
Thus a 2" diameter stick might have an air-dried moisture content of 12 - 14% in 2 years, 3 is safer. Even so, you should anticipate some end cracking.
Much thicker pieces benefit of course from being split lengthwise to the core of the log.

Get it all set up to be put away and weight it. Write that on the wall. Weigh it periodically.
When it gets down to a constant weight, consider it seasoned for carving.
Never stop looking for new wood.

 

[mick91]

Cheers for the hints. I couldn't believe how hard it is it's been eating scroll saw blades like no tomorrow! If I make anything half reasonable I'll stick some pictures here. Only just learning to work with wood and really enjoying it

 

[mick91]

You can carve it "green" aka fresh and wet, as it will be softer and thus easier to work. Some woods really go from cheese to bone as they dry ( eg Alder = Alnus sp.)
At the same time, you run the risk of your project drying and cracking in progress.
The best you could do is keep the work in a sealed plastic bag to slow down the rate of drying which slows the intensity of the mechanical stresses created in drying.

For seasoning the wood, strip off the bark and seal the cut ends (glue, paint, etc). The idea is to try to even out the rate of water loss
from the sides to that of the cut open ends. Outdoors, under cover and not cooked in a shed, it's usual to imagine that air-drying is about 1" per year.
Thus a 2" diameter stick might have an air-dried moisture content of 12 - 14% in 2 years, 3 is safer. Even so, you should anticipate some end cracking.
Much thicker pieces benefit of course from being split lengthwise to the core of the log.

Get it all set up to be put away and weight it. Write that on the wall. Weigh it periodically.
When it gets down to a constant weight, consider it seasoned for carving.
Never stop looking for new wood.

Thanks for that. Will bear the drying in mind. Glad I asked because the whole thing nearly became firewood!

 

[Robson Valley]

You're welcome. The sooner we get you addicted to carving the better.

You and I have both seen the wood carvings which come out of Africa. Wood like stone.
The carvers use scrapers to get the surfaces so smooth and glossy = shards of broken glass.
That's all very nice but you learn faster with softer woods.

 

[mick91]

Far past wittling sticks with a Swiss army knife as a kid (we all did it lets be honest here) I haven't ever really done it. I carved a fishing float once to prove a point but that's it. Any reccomendations on woods to start on? I have quite a selection of offcuts kicking around
Would lilac be any use for lateral strength? I knock up the odd slingshot and think itd make for a nice one

 

[Robson Valley]

Lime/Linden/Basswood is a carving favorite. For the past 15(?) years, I've worked principally with western red cedar and birch.
Some yellow cedar and mahogany in there, too. Can you find a local wood carving club? You will learn more and faster than any other way.
I suggest that you pick a single wood that you have in good supply and carve enough of it to "learn the wood". That took me about
5 years with western red cedar.

I believe that the far bigger issue is the concept of "Carving Sharp."
How to sustain edges of known bevel angle. You can actually put a good edge on a new razor blade.

The gouges just get harder to push, I can tell when the edge is starting to "go away." Honing every 30 minutes of steady
work keeps me happy.

 

[mick91]

Lime/Linden/Basswood is a carving favorite. For the past 15(?) years, I've worked principally with western red cedar and birch.
Some yellow cedar and mahogany in there, too. Can you find a local wood carving club? You will learn more and faster than any other way.
I suggest that you pick a single wood that you have in good supply and carve enough of it to "learn the wood". That took me about
5 years with western red cedar.

I believe that the far bigger issue is the concept of "Carving Sharp."
How to sustain edges of known bevel angle. You can actually put a good edge on a new razor blade.

The gouges just get harder to push, I can tell when the edge is starting to "go away." Honing every 30 minutes of steady
work keeps me happy.

Its certainly something I'll look into. Might even have a crack at a spoon for my trip out next weekend! I've got access to a lot of mahogany so probably start learning to carve that. If not bits of old pine as a "have a go" kind of thing. An old bloke that used to drink in my local was big into carving, really good too. In hindsight I should probably have asked for a lesson when he was able to give one!

 

[Robson Valley]

Good news. I phuqued up a bunch of spoons before I got the hang of it.
Went on to make 70 spoons and 30 forks, so many, I got bored and quit.
Could be more of the old boy's mates still above ground. Find them.

Mahogany is good (several species) and holds good detail.
The real trick with any/all softwoods/conifers is to NEVER try to pry up a chip.
Make another cut, instead. But, you're bound to learn that.

 

[mick91]

Sure I'll have to chuck a few and what have you but if I manage something resembling a spoon I'll be sure to post! I'll be asking around today and see if any are topside, his son is still with us so will ask him if he knows anything or anyone
Thanks for the softwood tip too, that's probably what I'll be playing around with the most because it's the most abundant where I camp

 

[Robson Valley]

I scrounged wood for the first years I was carving. All free in mountains of logging debris piles.
I didn't comprehend just how dirty it all was. I got tired of repairing the bevels of expensive gouges after hitting even a single sand grain.
Much safer to go to a mill, pick out and buy some western red cedar shake blocks (24" x 12" x 10") for $5 each. Some smaller, the biggest
ones I have weighed 40lbs fresh.

Well, pry out a few cuts just to see how the wood splits. Always cut down and into the grain, like smoothing the fur on a dog.

 

[Robson Valley]

Forgot to mention that branch wood is different from main stem wood.
The anatomy is very finely different as the branch is very heavily loaded on the top side to support the leaves/needles.
It's a feature called "reaction wood" and the change in conifers is in the lower side of the branch as "compression wood".
Extra cell wall layers will make that much more difficult to carve.

In the branches of broadleaf trees, the reaction wood occurs in the upper side of the branches and it's called "tension wood."

 

[mick91]

Forgot to mention that branch wood is different from main stem wood.
The anatomy is very finely different as the branch is very heavily loaded on the top side to support the leaves/needles.
It's a feature called "reaction wood" and the change in conifers is in the lower side of the branch as "compression wood".
Extra cell wall layers will make that much more difficult to carve.

In the branches of broadleaf trees, the reaction wood occurs in the upper side of the branches and it's called "tension wood."

Thanks for that I actually came across that today as some parts of the wood seemed significantly harder than others there also seems to be a soft pithy core? Is this normal?

 

[Robson Valley]

Probably is but I don't know which species you describe.
As an experiment with a branch, mark the top side.
Whittle away at both the top and bottom.
The difference in texture might determine the orientation of a carving, such as a spoon.

Western Red Cedar shake blocks are all 24" long, split to make "shakes" which are relatively thick shingles.
Of course the size means stem wood, very straight grained and no knots bigger than a pencil.
Harvested from mountain sides, the trees all have a slight downhill tilt to them, most will have
compression wood in the downhill side of even the main stem.

Happen to notice the pieces of log that I'm leaning on in my avatar?

 

[mick91]

Probably is but I don't know which species you describe.
As an experiment with a branch, mark the top side.
Whittle away at both the top and bottom.
The difference in texture might determine the orientation of a carving, such as a spoon.

Western Red Cedar shake blocks are all 24" long, split to make "shakes" which are relatively thick shingles.
Of course the size means stem wood, very straight grained and no knots bigger than a pencil.
Harvested from mountain sides, the trees all have a slight downhill tilt to them, most will have
compression wood in the downhill side of even the main stem.

Happen to notice the pieces of log that I'm leaning on in my avatar?

Cheers for all the advice really appreciate it mate. I'm definitely finding these things to be true as I'm having a go and feeling how different it is for myself. Ordered mmyself a spoon/bowl carving knife online and old faithful (my Skinner) seems to be doing the tougher carving quite nicely. Seems to be easier to carve with a chisel ground blade too. Any reason for this?

 

[mick91]

Managed the bowl using a spoon gouge actually. But still a crook knife will be a help I feel

 

[Robson Valley]

Crooked knives come in 4 basic flavors, with the choice, most carvers have some preference.
1. Typical Scandanavian such as the Mora #162, #163 and #164. Center hafted and cylindrical handle.
I don't have any of these.
2. Mocotaugan, such as used by native "birch-builder" cultures in eastern North America. I don't know of a 1-off supplier,
I was gifted a Sheffield blade of the design used in trade by the Hudson's Bay fur trading Company back in the mid 1700's.
3. Pacific Northwest native style: surface hafted, squarish handles. Specific bladesmiths with great reputations for quality.
Kestrel, North Bay Forge, Cariboo and even Lee Valley (blades from Crescent Knife Works.)
4. Farrier's hoof or hook knives (revised to 12 degrees). Available in the horse care parts of farm stores. Handles are OK.
I have Hall (Canada), Mora #171 (Sweden), Diamond #271 (Taiwan) and UKAL/Supervet (France.)
Best is that you may be able to buy a "worn-out" knife from your local farrier. Cheap and still lots of steel for carving.
Case in point: new Hall knives cost me $50 each, worn out knives from the local farrier: $5 each.